A coffee grower in the central highland province of Đắk Lắk harvests beans for export. - VNA/VNS Photo Dương Giang

According to the Viet Nam Industry and Trade Information Centre under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Viet Nam robusta coffee in the local market on Monday rose to VND37.7-38 million (US$1,670-1,690) per tonne, up from last week's VND36-36.3 million.

Local coffee growers this week have also accelerated their sales as the price hike offers good returns.

September robusta coffee futures in the New York's Intercontinental Exchange (ICE) also rose 1.3 per cent to $1,768 per tonne on Monday, the highest close since July 1, 2015.

The September contract has risen 11.3 per cent so far in 2016 and is headed towards a key psychological level of $1,800 per tonne. However, industry insiders forecast strong selling to cash in on high prices could put a brake on the London price.

According to the industry insiders, the global coffee price hike was due to concerns of low yields in the world's largest coffee producers of Brazil, Viet Nam and Indonesia.

In Viet Nam, according to a report from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)'s Foreign Agricultural Service early this month, coffee production could drop up to 7 per cent in 2016 and 2017, to 27.3 million bags over the previous crop, due to adverse weather conditions. The report even forecast a 15 per cent decline in coffee production in case the drought is prolonged and followed by unfavourable rains caused by La Nina.

Global consumption in the 2016-17 season is forecast to rise by 1.1 per cent to a record high of 150.8 million 60-kg bags, according to the USDA.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, coffee exports of Viet Nam, the world's largest robusta coffee exporter, reached an estimated 1.32 million tonnes in the first nine months of the 2015-16 crop year ending September, up 32 per cent from a year earlier. —  VNS